The Witches' Book of the Dead (31 page)

Take the 3 cups of honey, 3 cups of pure extra-virgin olive oil, and the 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice, and place in three separate glass bowls. With your index finger, draw an equilateral cross over each
bowl and say,
Food for our Beloved ones, you who dwell in the land of the Shadows, bring us blessings for this food that we have made
.

In a large glass bowl, mix the beans and barley together, stirring counterclockwise. After fully incorporating the beans and barley ingredients together, start adding in the honey, olive oil, and pomegranate juice, in that order. Stirring the beans, barley, honey, olive oil, and pomegranate together counterclockwise, say,
Holy oil I do add with joy and nothing sad, honey sweet as love I do add with joy and nothing sad, with the sacred fluid of the pomegranate I do blend for it is the beginning and not the end
. Continue stirring counterclockwise and chant nine times:
For this is the beginning and not the end
. As you finish blending the food together, say,
Sacred is this blend, for it is the beginning and not the end
.

Take the water that was left after straining the beans and barley and pour it into the large glass pitcher. To the water add 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons of honey, and 3 tablespoons of pomegranate juice. Take 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and sprinkle it into the mixture in the form of an equilateral cross.

Take the bowl of the Food for the Dead and the pitcher of the blessed water to your ancestral altar, cemetery, or crossroads, and envision your Beloved ones sitting down to dinner. Serve your Beloved Dead. If you are at an ancestral altar, place the Food for the Dead in front of each picture on the altar. Dip your index finger in the blessed water and put it upon the lips of the Beloved Dead in the pictures. If there is any food or water left, place it outside of your front and back door for three nights to draw the dead to your home.

Appendix B: Deities of the Dead

The shadowy deities of the underworld, often referred to as chthonic deities, inspired so much fear in ancient times that they were often not even referred to by their names—since it was believed that merely naming a thing could summon it. Witches know that this is still true today, so if you're going to call something up by name, you'd better know how to handle it. Originally, many of these deities were ancestral spirits; as I mentioned in
chapter 1
, we often deify those souls who have truly achieved spiritual greatness. Such gods of the gloomy realms ruled over the fate of the souls of the dead, and were worshiped with propitiation and sacrifice.

In addition to the primary deities who reign over the underworld, there are many deities who have chthonic aspects to them. These include fertility gods and goddesses, for all things that live eventually die; and deities associated with the sun, for when the sun sets in the west it descends into the realm of the dead. Some deities of the night, magic, sorcery, Witchcraft, and the moon also have strong chthonic associations.

The following are some of the chthonic deities you might call upon in your work with the dead. You may want to investigate your favorites in more detail. You will feel affinities for certain ones at different times, depending on your magical needs. You may want to give those you work with the most a special place upon your altar of the dead.

Suggestions for some of the offerings favored by each deity are included as well. The ancients often sacrificed animals, a practice still done in certain traditions. As a substitution, you can offer figurines or other images of animals and birds.

Ankou

One of my favorite deities from Brittany (now France), Ankou is a skeletal figure enshrouded in a tattered cloak who travels the land in a creaking old cart in search of the souls of the sick and dying. He comes to collect the spirits of the dead for transport to the edges of the underworld, where the ferryman will usher them across to their shadowy destination. Some say that Ankou was an annual office, held by the last person to die on New Year's Eve. Other legends say that he was once a wealthy and cruel man who was punished by a mysterious and dark figure for having hunted a sacred white stag. Still others say that he personifies death itself. Ankou is considered to be a psychopomp, which is a deity or demigod who guides the souls of the dead to their final destination. You must never look Ankou in the face if you encounter him, for you shall die instantly. Although Ankou is usually thought to be male, some versions identify “him” as female. Call on Ankou to aid your loved ones in their transition to the next realms or appease him with offerings that he may pass by your house for the next.

Offerings to Ankou
: Bread; spring water.

Anubis

Jackal-headed Egyptian god of the dead, Anubis is one of the oldest of the Egyptian gods and preceded Osiris as the ruler of the departed. Once Osiris assumed that role, Anubis, now said to be a son of Osiris, became a guide, escorting the souls of the dead to the underworld, the Duat. This was a role similar to that of the Greek Hermes. Anubis's totem animal, the jackal, comes from the jackal's habit of hunting around necropolises and
cemeteries. Anubis tests newly departed souls for their knowledge of the gods and their faith, and places their heart on the Scales of Justice during the Judging of the Heart. If the heart of the deceased is heavier than the feather of Truth that belongs to the goddess Ma'at, this means that the soul is wicked and unjust. Anubis then feeds the souls of the damned to the monster Ammit, who devours them into oblivion. Anubis also presides over the process of mummification. Call on Anubis to help you usher the shades of the dead back across the divide between their world and ours.

Offerings to Anubis
: Images of the jackal, representations of mummies, bread, beer, geese feathers, skeleton keys, obsidian.

Arawn

Welsh Celtic god whose name means “He of the Sown Field,” Arawn rules the otherworld, also known as Annwfn (pronounced “ann-noon”), a labyrinthine realm where faeries and the spirits of the dead dwell and where magnificent treasures abound. Originally a deity of the tilled land, Arawn later became Lord of the Celtic otherworld—a place that remains ever fertile—and is the leader of the Wild Hunt, a time when the denizens of the underworld, including faeries, spirits, and other mythical beings, maraud the land of the living. In the first branch of the Welsh Myth cycle known as
The Mabinogion
, Pwyll, a noble of men, mistakenly sets his hounds upon a stag that is also being hunted by Arawn. To atone for this grievous insult, Pwyll exchanges places with Arawn for a year and a day, facing many tests and defeating Hafgan, who sought to usurp the rule of Annwfn from Arawn. Because Pwyll respected not only Arawn's kingdom, but Arawn's wife as well, he never defiled her though he had had a year to do so. This respect resulted in not only a bond of friendship between Pwyll and the king of the otherworld, but also a bond between this world and theirs. In the tale “The Spoils of Annwfn” from
The Book of Taliesin
, King Arthur passes living through the veil with his entire party into the otherworld to steal a magical cauldron from Arawn. Some suggest that these stories later
evolved into the tales of the Holy Grail. Call on Arawn when you wish to pass beyond the veil and return again to tell the tale!

Offerings to Arawn
: Ale, whiskey, offerings tied to trees.

Azrael

The enigmatic Necromancer Leilah Wendell, in her books
Encounters with Death, My Name Is Melancholy
, and
The Necromantic Ritual Book
, beckons us into the the shadowy realms of Azrael, the mighty Angel of Death. It is he who is appointed the task of heralding death and collecting souls for their radiant ascent into heaven or their fiery descent into hell. Azrael is truly terrible to behold, but has many guises as he seeks the souls of the living whose time has come—which, according to Islamic legend, even he is not aware of until Allah (God) drops a leaf to him with the name of that person to be collected. He is our most ardent lover, a final companion on the journey of life who clutches us tenderly in his cold, bony grip. He often takes the form that we can best relate to, whether it is as a winged angel, a grim reaper, or even hordes of black birds. In Islamic teachings, the righteous are carried to heaven on the winds of sweet-smelling incense while the wicked and hateful are pulled into hell by the many arms of the hellish minions that accompany Azrael when the truly evil justify the need. In his most transcendent and divine form, Azrael represents the very substance and flow of the Death Current itself, so you should call on him at early dawn or late dusk to embrace the energies of his vast powers.

Offerings to Azrael
: Sincere understanding and an open heart filled with love and free of fear; burnt offerings of either sweet jasmine, bay laurel leaves, or both; amethyst crystals; and, as Leilah recently shared with me, “The best thing to give Him is an open hand … and let Him lead you home.”

Astarte

The Phoenician great goddess of fertility, motherhood, war, and ruler of the dead, Astarte is the counterpart to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar; her cult dates to the Neolithic and Bronze ages. Tammuz, her son and consort, dies, and Astarte descends to the underworld to rescue him. The Phoenicians portrayed Astarte with cow horns, representing fertility. The Assyrians and Babylonians portrayed her caressing a child. She is associated with the moon and called the Mother of the Universe, the giver of all life on Earth. She rules all spirits of the dead who dwell in the heavens as bodies of light—visible on Earth below as stars. Her counterparts in other lands are Isis and Hathor of Egypt, Kali of India, and Aphrodite and Demeter of Greece. Call on Astarte to bless both the lands and the wombs of hopeful mothers with fertility.

Offerings to Astarte
: Goddess cakes; clothing stained with menstrual blood; milk and honey.

Baron Samedi

Among the gods—or Loa—of Voodoo, the dead are ruled by the powerful spirits of Guédé. Chief among them is Baron Samedi, whose name means Baron Saturday. He rules alongside his wife Mama Brijit, Queen of the Dead; Baron Cimetière; and Baron La Croix. Some believe he is the spiritual father of the Guédé, while others consider him a chief member of the extended Guédé family. Baron Samedi is typically seen in his white, skull-like face, top hat, black tailcoat, and dark glasses that are usually missing one lens, symbolizing the Baron's ability to see into the worlds of both the living and the dead. Baron Samedi's dance is the provocative “Banda,” for he is both a Loa of sex and death. Though he is famous for his association with phallic symbols, debauchery, and obscene language, this lewd behavior manifests in a very comical and at times sarcastic way. He is fond of cigars, tobacco, rum, and spicy foods, and he loves to cause mischief, especially of a sexual nature. It is usually preferable that the Guédé arrive last in rituals of Voodoo
because of this mischief, but they are known to pop in uninvited at any time. It's thought to be better that all of this bawdy behavior be saved until after the main Loa have been served. He is also a very serious Loa of resurrection and healing, though his outward mannerisms may seem otherwise. You call on the Baron for fertility, to protect children, physical healing, burial, and to call on the spirits of the dead.

Offerings for Baron Samedi
: A black rooster, peanuts, black coffee, spicy foods, cigars, bread, coins, spicy rum and other liquors.

Circe

A sorceress who is also considered a goddess in Greek Myth, Circe is renowned for her enchantments; in Homer's
Odyssey
, she turns Odysseus's men into swine. Fair-haired, she was sometimes said to be the daughter of Hecate, the patron goddess of Witchcraft and magic. She is also a goddess of the moon and of degrading love. She controls fate and the forces of creation and destruction with knots and braids in her hair.

When Odysseus found her, Circe was living in exile on the island of Aeaea (“Wailing”) as punishment for murdering her husband, the king of Sarmatians, by poisoning. There she built herself a palace and taught herself the arts of magic. She cast a spell over the entire island so that anyone who came there would be turned into an animal. When Odysseus's men were turned into swine, Odysseus himself escaped, having been forewarned and forearmed by Hermes, who gave him a magical herb, “moly,” for protection. Odysseus forced Circe to restore his men to their human form. He was so taken with her that he spent a year with her, and she advised him how to travel west to the underworld, and how to conjure the shades of the dead for prophecy. Circe eventually was slain by Telemachus, who married her daughter, Cassiphone. Now in spirit, you can call on Circe to aid you in speaking with the dead, the brewing of potions, and communing with animals.

Offerings to Circe
: Feathers, wolf hair, or lion hair, all shed naturally from a live animal; baneful herbs of aconite or deadly nightshade; potions; figurines or images of pigs, birds, lions, or wolves; alder wood, willow, mandrake, or tamarisk. Adopting an animal from a shelter would please Circe greatly.

Ereshkigal

Ereshkigal is the dark Sumerian Queen of the Underworld and sister of Inanna, whom she despises. One legend tells that Ereshkigal was a sky goddess who was kidnapped by a dragon, Kur, and taken to the underworld, called by the same name (as Kurnugi, it is the gloomy Land of No Return). A violent and harsh goddess, she rules with her consort Nergal, whom she forced to stay in the underworld. Nergal was sent to her from heaven one day with an offering of food. They fell in love with each other. When Nergal left, Ereskigal was so distressed that she threatened the great god Anu that she would revive all the dead, who outnumbered the living, and send them back to Earth. Anu relented, and Nergal was sent back to her to be her consort forever.